CLOSE PROX ATX-HELICOPTER TRAFFIC WATCH SMA.

Date: 1988-03 · Aircraft: Helicopter

Anomalies: conflict-nmac

Synopsis

CLOSE PROX ATX-HELICOPTER TRAFFIC WATCH SMA.

Narrative

ON THE AFTERNOON OF 3/WED/88; I WAS FLYING TFC IN AN SMA X. MY ROUTE OF FLT WAS SW ALONG THE STEVENSON EXPRESSWAY AT 1100' MSL. MY AIRSPD WAS ABOUT 70 KTS INDICATED. APPROX 6 MI W OF MIDWAY ARPT; I SAW A FIXED WING ACFT APCHING ME FROM THE W. THE FIXED WING ACFT WAS A SMA Y. HE WAS AT MY ALT FLYING IN A NORTH EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE FIXED WING ACFT AND I WERE ON A COLLISION COURSE AND HAD I NOT TAKEN EVASIVE ACTION A MIDAIR COLLISION WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE. THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT WAS NOT TALKING TO MIDWAY TWR; NOR WAS HE GIVING POS RPTS ON 123.05. (123.05 IS A FREQ BEING USED AS A HELI ADVISORY FREQ UNTIL SUCH A FREQ IS ESTABLISHED IN THE CHICAGO AREA.) THE PLT OF THE FIXED WING ACFT DID NOT APPEAR TO NOTICE THAT I WAS IN THE AREA BECAUSE HE DID NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TO AVOID ME. THE WX WAS CLR EXCEPT FOR SOME HAZE SO HE SHOULD HAVE HAD NO PROB SEEING ME. THIS INCIDENT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A TFC CONFLICT HAS EXISTED BTWN MYSELF AND THIS ACFT. HE IS ALWAYS FLYING AT LOWER ALTS THAN WHAT HE IS RPTING TO TWR. ALSO; HIS POS RPTS ARE INACCURATE. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE MEIGS ATA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE SMA WAS A TFC WATCH ACFT AND THE RPTR HAS HAD OTHER PROBS WITH THIS ACFT. RPTR CONTACTED LCL GADO. THEY HAVE TALKED TO THE SMA PLT AND ACFT NOW OPERATES AT NO LESS THAN 1700' PER AGREEMENT. RPTR BELIEVES THE MDW ARSA THAT GOES INTO EFFECT NEXT MONTH WILL BE A HELP.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.